. welcome back, this week mark, the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and there was an emotional tribute at the national harbor today. >> firefighters and their families climbed 10 flights of stairs 11 times on honor the 110 stories climbed by new york city firefighters on september 11th. some wore their full gear and packs to make it realistic as

possible. each carried the photo of a firefighter who gave their life. >> 110 flights of stairs to remember the world trade center and the firefighters there and they gave everything to us. >> and that may have taken them awhile to climb, this is not a race but an opportunity to remember the 343 firefighters who died that day. the national cathedral plans to mark the anniversary with prayers. tuesday the cathedral will begin with a morning prayer service at 8:45 and followed by noon service and a coral service at 5:30. and a touching story out of georgia. a stranger donated a car to a hit-and-run victim injured while walking home from school. she gave the college student the car so he never has to walk to class again. >> reporter: brandon white started the car the first time.

an old 1990 cadillac fleetwood new to him, a gift from a stranger. >> thank you, brandon. >> reporter: this is a delegate hug. brandon has a collapsed lung, broken ribs and arm held together by stitches, injuries suffered when he was struck by a vehicle last month as he was walking home from class. vanessa peebles saw the 20-year- old's story on fox 5 and had to help. >> the thought of my kid walking, i don't want to think about that. i said nope, that is it. end of story. he's going to get this car. >> reporter: he won't on have to make that 15-mile trip to and from school anymore. >> driving takes 15 minutes, walking, 4 1/2 hours. >> reporter: a lot of car with one condition. >> and you continue in school. i want to see you -- . >> i will. >> a surgeon one day. >> i am thankful to be alive and that gives me more, makes me want to go to school more. >> glad to see that. the trip of a lifetime.

taking a walk with a maryland tone age or the way to san francisco on foot. plus, the little boy loses his best friend three years later. they're reunited. his priceless reaction is next. 

i'm barack obama, and i approve this message.  mitt romney's position on women's health...it's dangerous. vo:mitt romney and paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. and allow employers to deny coverage for cancer screenings and birth control. we can't afford to let him take away our choices... to take away basic health care. vo: both backed proposals to outlaw abortions...even in cases of rape and incest. i don't think that women's health issues have faced a crisis like this in decades. but it makes millions off west marylanders every year. now they're running dishonest ads. why? because voting for question seven is a vote to build a...

world-class resort casino in maryland. creating thousands of jobs and... ...according to the official department of legislative... services, hundreds of millions for our schools. while saving taxpayer money by cutting casino subsidies. question seven. good jobs and better schools in maryland. not west virginia.

. he lost 40-pounds on his back and a sense of adventure. a teenager out of high school and is walking across america. he calls his walk dude track and beth parker caught up with him as he passed through his home state of maryland. >> reporter: with one change of clothes, a map on his belt, and a magic of music, this maryland's kid is hitting the road. >> my name is jonah blair, i'm 18 years old and i'm hiking the american discovery trail. >> reporter: walking alone the long miles between delaware and san francisco.

>> and this is over 5,000. >> reporter: the reason? >> i wanted to do something. i wanted to have an adventurous moment in my life. >> reporter: when he graduated in june, he decided to postpone college. >> my mom, like her first instinct was like you're crazy, you're going to college. >> reporter: mom came around a bit and dude trek, as he calls it, started a week ago. >> he gets a lot of questions. >> what are you doing, who are you, what is dude trek and why do you smell so bad? >> i have gone three days without a shower so far. >> a lucky day? >> yeah. >> i was a runner and up to my running for a while. >> reporter: he camps most nights and occasionally bunks with friends like the one who invited them on a party near college park even though he could not make it. >> dude, you never guess where i'm going to be friday night. at green belt park and he was like i live a block away. >> reporter: he's been at it for a week and so far, the best part about the journey is the

people he's sharing the road with. >> the biggest surprise, really s how enthusiastic and helpful pretty much everyone is. >> reporter: there are time when is he's winging it. >> and not knowing what is going to happen or where you will sleep in one way worries me and in another way, it's exciting. >> reporter: he's had strangers pick up the dinner tab. >> the moment i feel down, seems someone is there to pick me up. >> reporter: he walks about 20 miles a day and wants to be in san francisco next june. >> tons of fun. tons of fun and this is ridiculous. >> reporter: he will have a story to tell n. maryland, beth parker, fox 5 news. a little boy from nebraska learned never to give up. he lost his beloved step monkey named ahah. three years ago, the mother never stopped looking for him on the monkey trip and found him on ebay. check out the reaction when she surprised him with his long

lost friend they know it's the same monkey because he has the same burn mark from the time mom accidentally put him in the drier. >> and she's like this is -- . >> this is priceless. >> cool. >> cute kid. >> go one free. mitt romney spent the day trying to win virginia voters. >> highlights from the trip to the commonwealth as we continue on this late night. can ask o be patient. this president can tell us it was someone else's fault. but this president cannot tell us that you're better off today than when he took office. [ female announcer ] here in virginia, we're not better off under president obama. his defense cuts threaten over one hundred thirty thousand jobs, lowering home values, putting families at risk. the romney plan? tax cuts for middle class families. north american energy independence. create over three hundred forty thousand new jobs for virginia. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approved this message.

. the presidential race kicking into high gear. both canned at hit the campaign trail heard today, holding events in key battleground states, including virginia. ed henry has the latest in the race for the white house. >> reporter: hitting the campaign trail immediately after the democratic national convention, president obama kicks off a two-day bus tour through florida, eager to scoop up the sunshine state's mother load of 29 electoral votes.

>> by the way, i do care. and i like the term obama care. mr. roomny said he's going to repeel it meaning he don't care. >> reporter: any bounceback could be stalled by friday's dismal unemployment report showing nibblings thousand jobs were added to the economy last month and the vice president tried to shift the focus, instead, to the priorities of the gop ticket. >> i ask you literally to ask yourself the following questions: do folks in ohio really think that governor romney with his views on outsourcing and views on general motors and chrysler and beyond that, do they honestly believe, had he been present the last four years, there would be today 115,000 auto jobs in ohio? >> reporter: the republican nominee, mitt romney, answering the charges while stumping for votes in another key

battleground. virginia. >> this president has not fulfilled the promises. many went to the democrat convention and spoke at length and had some wonderful things to say. he didn't say what he would do to help get people into jobs and off ofup employment. he doesn't have a plan or ideas and we have to make sure he doesn't have anymore days in the white house after january. >> reporter: sunday, governor romney takes the day off on the campaign trail. he'll be resting in massachusetts. in kissimee, florida, ed henry, fox news. a battle is brewing between a group of republican senators in the pentagon over voter assistance services for troops serving overseas. the lawmakers are concerned that the pentagon is not following a military voting law requiring the defense department to set up a voter assistanta was -- office on every military base. and a reporter said attempts to contact them failed 50% of the time. >>